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Appropriate mechanical loading during occlusion and mastication play an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2), a matricellular protein, is known to upregulate extracellular matrix production, including collagen in PDL tissue. However, the underlying mechanisms of CTGF/CCN2 in regulation of PDL tissue integrity remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of CTGF/CCN2 on osteo/cementoblastic and fibroblastic differentiation of human PDL stem cells using the cell line 1-11. CTGF/CCN2 expression in rat PDL tissue and human PDL cells (HPDLCs) was confirmed immunohisto/cytochemically. Mechanical loading was found to increase gene expression and secretion of CTGF/CCN2 in HPDLCs. CTGF/CCN2 upregulated the proliferation and migration of 1-11 cells. Furthermore, increased bone/cementum-related gene expression in this cell line led to mineralization. In addition, combined treatment of 1-11 cells with CTGF/CCN2 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) significantly promoted type I collagen and fibronectin expression compared with that of TGF-β1 treatment alone. Thus, these data suggest the underlying biphasic effects of CTGF/CCN2 in 1-11 cells, inducible osteo/cementoblastic, and fibroblastic differentiation dependent on the environmental condition. CTGF/CCN2 may contribute to preservation of the structural integrity of PDL tissue, implying its potential use as a therapeutic agent for PDL regeneration., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a cytokine that promotes the regeneration of the periodontium, the specialized tissues supporting the teeth. bFGF, does not, however, induce the synthesis of smooth muscle actin alpha 2 (ACTA2), type I collagen (COL1), or COL3, which are principal molecules in periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue, a component of the periodontium. We have suggested the feasibility of using transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) to induce fibroblastic differentiation of PDL stem/progenitor cells (PDLSCs). Here, we investigated the effect of the subsequent application of TGFβ1 after bFGF (bFGF/TGFβ1) on the differentiation of PDLSCs into fibroblastic cells. We first confirmed the expression of bFGF and TGFβ1 in rat PDL tissue and primary human PDL cells. Receptors for both bFGF and TGFβ1 were expressed in the human PDLSC lines 1-11 and 1-17. Exposure to bFGF for 2 days promoted vascular endothelial growth factor gene and protein expression in both cell lines and down-regulated the expression of ACTA2, COL1, and COL3 mRNA in both cell lines and the gene fibrillin 1 (FBN1) in cell line 1-11 alone. Furthermore, bFGF stimulated cell proliferation of these cell lines and significantly increased the number of cells in phase G2/M in the cell lines. Exposure to TGFβ1 for 2 days induced gene expression of ACTA2 and COL1 in both cell lines and FBN1 in cell line 1-11 alone. BFGF/TGFβ1 treatment significantly up-regulated ACTA2, COL1, and FBN1 expression as compared with the group treated with bFGF alone or the untreated control. This method might thus be useful for accelerating the generation and regeneration of functional periodontium.